Olive & Tomato Quinoa Salad

Ripe red tomatoes, salty black olives, and fresh mozzarella are tossed with quinoa and a simple vinaigrette for an easy summertime meal.

 I’m an admirer of French cuisine (this and this are some of my cookbook staples) and I have a soft spot in my heart for summertime Provencal recipes. The kind of recipe that calls for fresh garden produce, lots of herbs, olive oil, and expensive cheese.  And of course - minimal cooking. I think this may be due to reading too many Peter Mayle novels. Is anyone with me?

Anyhow, this recipe fills the bill for summertime.  Quinoa cooks quickly so you don’t need to slave over a hot stove.  Everything else is fresh and delicious – requiring just a quick chop, then a stir into the warm quinoa. 
Don’t forget your glass of icy Pastis.

Olive & Tomato Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa (cooked)
  
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  
• 1 cup chopped salty black olives
  
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella (we used bocconcini; the little balls)
  
• large handful chopped fresh basil
  
• scant 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  
• scant 1/3 cup olive oil

Cook quinoa as usual (add 2 cups water, simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all water is absorbed). 
Coarsely chop cherry tomatoes, olives, fresh mozzarella, and basil.  Set aside.
Whisk oil & vinegar together in liquid measuring cup or small bowl.  Drizzle over the hot cooked quinoa and stir to combine.  Wait until the quinoa is not too hot (you don’t want to melt the mozzarella), then stir in all the chopped veggies and herbs.  Top with a pretty cherry tomato & sprig of basil and serve.

Apple Brie Baguette

Let me tell you what’s on this delicious (but simple!) sandwich:  brie, tangy apple slices, spicy arugula, and honey.  On a fresh baguette. With a little sprinkle of coarse salt. It’s so easy that it barely counts as a recipe, but it is so delicious that we got really excited about it and had to share.

I’m not much of a sandwich person, but when it is on a baguette I apparently change my mind. I have been thinking about this sandwich every day since we made it. 

Do you see those patient baby hands up there? We had to share our sandwiches with two hungry toddlers, and somehow managed to take these pictures to the slightly stressful chant of "More cheese please! Are those apple slices?! I would like some MORE HONEY!" etc, etc.

The honey we used was a little special, which was fun. We tried out this raw Colorado clover honey. It came in a jar with a chic label and was much more solid than our usual honey, but had a really nice texture and floral taste. 

This recipe makes about 3 to 4 sandwiches depending on the size of your baguette.

Apple Brie Baguette

• One baguette
• 6 oz sliced Brie
• 1/2 thinly sliced tart apple
• handful of fresh arugula
• drizzle of honey
• sprinkle of coarse sea salt

Slice the baguette lengthwise. Spread the honey thinly on the bread, then layer on slices of brie. We recommend sprinkling with coarse salt on top of the brie, by the way, so it sticks and doesn’t fall off the sandwich. Finish by layering the apples slices, the arugula. Slice into sandwiches and you’re done.

Spring Herb Quinoa Patties

Spring is so close! But really, it’s just barely here.  If you’re lucky you might have some tender leaves sprouting in your herb pots (I found chives in mine today!) but other than that we still have a bit of a wait until it’s really spring.

Those tiny little spring herb leaves are so exciting, though, that we wanted to let them shine in these delicious quinoa patties. Mint, parsley, and green onion are tossed with quinoa and shavings of flavorful cheese.  Crispy on the outside and packed with flavor, this is my spring go-to lunch.



These are made with simple whole foods ingredients. All you do is mix everything up in a bowl, then form little patties and pan fry them until they’re golden and crisp on each side. 



The mixture stores well in the fridge for a few days, so you can whip up a full batch and then fry just a few each day for lunch.  That’s what I’ve been doing! 

Spring Herb Quinoa Patties

inspired by a recipe in Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson
Yield is 8-10 patties

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 c. dry)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped mint
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 c. grated strong cheese – we used an aged sheep’s milk cheese
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine everything but the quinoa in a large bowl and mix well.  Fold in the cooked quinoa until it’s fully incorporated and the mixture is even.
Heat a large frying pan, with a drizzle of oil to coat, to medium high.
Using a spoon & your hands, form appox 2” patties with the quinoa mix and plop them into the hot frying pan.
Cook each side for approx 3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Don’t disturb them for the first minute or two to prevent them from falling apart!  Flip, and cook the other side for an additional 3-ish minutes, or until both sides are golden brown.
Serve with more freshly grated cheese on top.

Tomato Tart

This is a delicious way to use fresh grown tomatoes when you’re looking for something a little more fancy than a simple salad.  Behold, the heirloom tomato tart:

It starts with a flaky savory pastry crust made from flour and lots of butter.

It has a very thin layer of Dijon mustard atop the flakey pastry.  It lends a very subtle piquant flavor and is topped with a layer of rich gruyere cheese.  Next, an orderly layer of sliced fresh heirloom tomatoes.

A sprinkling of fresh thyme, plus salt and pepper finishes things off.

We enjoyed ours to celebrate Sylvie’s 2nd birthday.  We told her it was French pizza, and she bought it! 

Tomato Tart

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced gruyere cheese
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• sprinkle of salt and pepper
• drizzle of olive oil

Pastry Crust

(makes enough for 2 tarts). I love the recipe from Alice Water’s Art of Simple Food.

• 1/2 cup ice cold water
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp cold butter, cubed

Combine flour, salt, and butter in food processor.  Pulse a few times; just until butter is in large irregular pieces.  Drizzle in the water bit by bit, pulsing in between, until dough forms a craggy ball.  Divide in two, shape into discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.  When ready to use, take out one disc and let soften on counter for 10 minutes then roll out to fit the tart pan.
Preheat oven to 425. Dollop the mustard on the dough and spread very thinly with a rubber spatula.  Arrange thinly sliced (or shredded) gruyere atop the mustard layer, followed by a layer of tomatoes.  Lay the tomatoes in concentric circles, overlapping slightly.  Sprinkle with thyme, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Corn Tortillas with Toddlers {Kid-Friendly Food}

Our friend Diana had the fabulous idea of making tortillas with the toddlers last week. She owns a lovely little tortilla press and I can now see the allure of having one of these bad boys in your kitchen arsenal.

I'm generally opposed to kitchen equipment that is only used for a single purpose, but this tortilla press is neat, compact, and pretty too!

Making tortillas is totally old hat to Diana who whipped them up like it was nothing. "How long do they cook?" I'd ask. "Until they look done," she'd say. I'm a slave to the recipe and timer, but she has natural cook's intuition.

The toddlers loved watching the prepping of the tortillas. What could be more alluring than little balls of dough? And look, now they are being flattened with this neato contraption! Sweet. More than just a little dough was sampled along the way.

Fortunately, their appetites weren't completely spoiled and they had some tortillas post-griddling as well. The rustic and somewhat chewy tortillas were a perfect vehicle for all those toddler faves: avocado, beans, tomato, cheese. This was my girl's first time sampling queso fresco and, no surprise, she loved it.

Homemade Corn Tortillas
-Mix 2 cups of Masa Harina with 1.5 cups of warm water. Salt to taste.
-Knead for a minute or two adding more water if dough seems too dry.
-Roll into 1.5-in balls.
-Place ball into tortilla press (lined with plastic wrap to prevent sticking to press). Press down on press. Tortilla should be about 5 inches in diameter. If you don't have a tortilla press, you can also roll it between sheets of waxed paper with a rolling pin.
-Place on pre-heated griddle or pan for 1-2 minutes each side.